


Only Fools Rush In

by jacksgreysays (jacksgreyson), jacksgreyson



Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-16
Packaged: 2018-05-20 22:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6027862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreysays, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(A sweet Benlos continuation of the movie. Originally posted on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (parts one through three)

“Of course I don’t mind,” Mal says, soft smile gracing those perfect pink lips he’s never kissed. And never will.

Certainly not if he’s going to follow through on this crazy idea of his.

“But one condition,” she adds, and now her smile turns sharp and edged and dangerous, like nothing in Auradon. He thinks it’s going to be secrecy, not to cause a scandal, but instead she says, “Break his heart and I’ll end you.” The tapping of her fingertips against her ever present spell book is just a reminder of how easily she can back up her words.

He remembers why he loves her, why he wanted her to wear his ring. She’ll make a great queen.

Maybe not a good one, but he’s sick of good. Good is boring. And what he wants? Is neither.

* * *

 He gets Mal’s permission first–because there’s no way he’s going to cheat on his girlfriend, even if that term is used more as a job title than a relationship status–but she’s not the last.

Evie blinks at his question, rolls her eyes, then dismisses him, “You think I didn’t already know? I suppose I could threaten you but, to be honest, anything I do would be faster and less painful than what Mal or Jay would do to you.”

He considers that, then nods in agreement.

She’s about to turn away, onto her next project, when she stops, head tilting as she considers the idea that has just popped into her head. Then she smirks, gaze crawling up his body from toe to head in an amused leer.

“Is the change genetic?” She asks, and he’s about to say no, his father’s curse was broken decades ago, but then she continues, “Because Carlos likes fur.”

The blush that spreads across his face is almost as red as the ruby around her neck. He cannot flee fast enough from her laughter.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Jay is the hardest. And not just because he’s got biceps as big as Ben’s head with a predilection to use them whenever he wants. Jay and Carlos are brothers and, more than that, they’re roommates. It takes a lot of maneuvering to get Jay by himself, and even that still involves Carlos looking at them both with abandoned, hurt puppy eyes which nearly undoes all of Ben’s plans.

But no, he’s going to do this right.

When he first broaches the topic, Jay shows remarkable restraint when, instead of immediately decking Ben across the face, he merely punches a hole in the wall next to Ben’s head.

“Mal knows, of course she knows!” Ben blurts out, relieved when Jay finally pulls away his fist, “Evie does, too.”

“Duh,” Jay scoffs, which–what, does Evie just know everything?–but at least he’s not angry anymore.

“I promise I won’t hurt him,” Ben says, then his thoughts stray just a little so he flushes and admits, “Well, unless he wants me to–”

“Shut up, I don’t need to hear that,” Jay thankfully interrupts before their conversation delves too far in a direction neither of them want to go in. “Promises mean shit,” he redirects, still scowling, but backing away so he no longer looms menacingly over Ben.

“But you are the reason that damn mutt sleeps in our room…”

The reason Carlos isn’t frightened to death of dogs anymore, Ben translates.

“And you were willing to help him out with tourney training even before…” Jay trails off and waves a hand vaguely which Ben doesn’t know if that means before he started dating Mal or before he started having feelings for someone not his girlfriend. And not a girl, for that matter.

“You better not screw this up,” Jay says, before punching Ben on the shoulder–both a warning and a gesture of approval. He ends the conversation completely by simply walking away.

Ben resists the urge to rub away the pain until Jay is completely out of his line of sight. That really hurt.

Now comes the actual difficult part: asking Carlos if he wants to go out with Ben.

* * *

There seems to be a disconnect between his conscious and subconscious mind; because while he still finds it extremely difficult to verbally ask Carlos out, his subconscious seems to be completely on board with the seduction.

“Good boy,” Ben murmurs into Carlos’ ear after he’s finally made a goal during one of their tourney practices. One of Ben’s hands is curled possessively around the back of Carlos’ neck, the other strokes down his stomach, pulling away just before it hits waistband. Belly rubs indeed.

Carlos, distracted by the joy and pride of his first successful shot, only smiles at Ben gratefully. The same as he always does during their personal training times.

Outside of those, Ben’s opportunities to ask Carlos out (continue seducing him) drops to zero. Because for some reason, even though all of them know he’s trying to date Carlos, the three other Lost kids do not leave him alone.

“Associating yourself with endorphins and exhilaration? It’s a good start,” Evie says with a wink–how does she know these things–at lunch one day. Thankfully, Carlos is not in earshot of their lunch table, opting to spend the rest of his free time playing fetch with Dude, but still. He’s right there.

“Carlos loves chocolate,” Mal mentions pointedly, both helpful and despicable, as Ben’s mind goes full throttle down a particular road. Blood rushes elsewhere in addition to his face.

“Still don’t need to hear this,” Jay grumbles, and steadfastly ignores everyone else at the table.

“Hear what?” Carlos asks as he rejoins them, Dude loyally following at his heels. He plops down into the space next to Ben; and Ben has apparently lost all control, automatically leaning towards him.

“Nothing,” the girls say, giggling to one another. Jay continues to ignore everyone.

“Ookay?” Carlos responds, and if Ben is maybe thrilled by the slightly breathless way he speaks, panting with exertion, well. No one else needs to know. Certainly not Jay.

* * *

One would think that, after years of looking after Dude, it would have earned Ben some loyalty; or at the very least some kind of leeway. But when it comes to the dog’s favorite human, apparently even past generosity means nothing.

“I fed you steak,” Ben hisses, feeling betrayed, when Dude growls at what he apparently deems an inappropriate proximity to Carlos.

It’s a Friday night, and Ben and Carlos are finally alone–thanks to Evie and Mal literally dragging Jay out of the boys’ dorm room–and they’ve spent the last two hours playing video games.

Not that he hasn’t enjoyed spending time alone with Carlos without the pretext of tourney training. Or, nearly alone with Carlos. But he was kind of hoping to elevate their relationship to the next level. Or at least bring up that possibility.

Instead, Dude has been acting as chaperone for this not-date (would be a date, if Ben could actually ask), bodily going in between the two of them whenever Ben tries to do anything.

He has never been more aware or more frustrated by the presence of a bed in his entire life.

So what if Dude dooms this particular night to a strictly platonic hang out? It’s not exactly a hardship to interact with the boy he likes.

“Again?” Carlos pleads, even though Ben has lost every single round thus far and he’s kind of getting bored of the game. But Carlos asks, hardly even needs to pout or widen his eyes or tilt his head beseechingly, and of course Ben is going to say yes. Though all of that certainly doesn’t hurt his case.

And, well, so what if Ben loses yet again? Carlos’ delighted grin is an excellent consolation prize.

* * *

 “Am I being too subtle?” he asks, leaning casually against the lockers next to Mal’s, the perfect picture of a devoted boyfriend. Except for the conversation topic.

A laugh bubbles out of her, honestly surprised and brightly entertained. Ben is always pleased when he can do that, anything to make her happy.

“You announced to the entire school that you were in love with me before we were even dating, and on our first date you took off your clothes,” Mal reminds him, smile edging sideways with mostly benign teasing.

He scratches his cheek sheepishly, acknowledging her point, but defending himself with, “But that was when I was under the love potion.”

Her nose crinkles, now more ashamed at the memory of having to resort to a love potion than having been caught using said potion.

“But it didn’t change who you were, or how you acted while in love. It just focused those emotions on a specific target,” she responds thoughtfully, fingers tap tap tapping against the spine of her spell book, “Just because the target of your affections is one that you’ve chosen, doesn’t mean your behavior would be considerably different.”

Her voice drops out of the lofty theorizing, and darkens into something hard and flinty, “I understand that you’d want to be a little more discrete since it’s Carlos…”

And Ben is still working his parents over on the matter of my-girlfriend-is-Maleficent’s-daughter, much less the I’m-actually-in-love-with-Cruella’s-son.

“…but he’s not going to end up your dirty little secret,” she states, advice and warning combined.

He shakes his head, because of course not. He wouldn’t–doesn’t–view Carlos that way whatsoever. The reason why he doesn’t sing his feelings at the top of his lungs to the entire school is because Carlos and Mal are different. “With you, I knew you’d reject me if you didn’t want me, even in front of the entire school. But with him… I don’t want him to feel pressured into saying yes.”

“There you go,” she says, satisfied, “Now, walk me to my math class so we can pass by Carlos in the hallway on his way to computer science.”

Ben’s next class, history, is in a completely different building on the other side of campus. But he thinks the daily tardies are a worthy exchange for daily smiles and waves.

Mal hip checks him when he stops moving to watch Carlos walk away, nearly completely turned around to do so. Luckily for Ben, the crowd flowing around them are all students almost late for class, too busy to notice.

“Not subtle at all,” she chides half-heartedly.


	2. (parts four through six)

All of Ben’s careful, well-intentioned plans crumble into dust after the Auradon Knights win against the Corona Suns. Or, rather, when Carlos wins against the Corona Suns.

Both teams defenses’ were working double time during the game, and neither side had managed to score against the other. They had already dragged the game into overtime but with still no goals made, they were facing another ten minutes of grueling overtime. And maybe that was why the Suns had focussed on Jay and Ben, the Knights’ top scorers, and completely forgot about Carlos. Small, fast, cunning Carlos who scored the game winning goal.

It was such a surprise that, for a beat, there was stunned silence. But then a roar of cheers erupted from the Knights’ side, the band and cheerleaders at the front of the celebration. The team, tired but exhilarated, crowded together, jostling Carlos in congratulations. After Carlos and Jay finish their familiar, triumphant, roughhousing, Ben sees Carlos bounding towards him.

It’s nothing at all to catch the smaller boy mid-leap with arms around his waist. It seems right to have a matching embrace around his neck. And maybe that associative seduction worked too well; or maybe Ben conditioned himself instead. Because it just feels natural to lean in, to press his lips against Carlos’, to taste, to touch, to kiss.

For all that Ben wishes it had been an eternity, it’s brief. A fleeting moment in time that ends all too soon because he pulls away. Has to pull away. When his brain comes back online, he realizes he didn’t ask. Didn’t feel a matching, reciprocating pressure from Carlos. So Ben has to pull away, has to look and see what he’s done.

Carlos’ mouth is open, an involuntary temptation; Ben would like to imagine that his lips are a little redder, but then again, he’d like to imagine a lot of things that aren’t actually true. Shaking those thoughts away, Ben sees that Carlos is frozen, eyes wide and staring back in shock. The arms around Ben’s neck have loosened their hold, hands resting lightly on his shoulders.

He knows that there’s still noise and movement around them, but as far as Ben’s concerned none of that matters. They are a tableau of two, motionless and accompanied only by the sound of Ben’s pounding, nervous heartbeat.

Then Carlos’ hands twitch, and maybe it’s just a reflex, but maybe he’s trying to push Ben away. And Ben doesn’t want to presume, doesn’t want to trap him, so he lets go, sets Carlos back on the ground quickly, but gently, and he pulls his arms away. Carlos fingers are still curled in Ben’s jersey, and his expression is still open and shocked and vulnerable. And Ben resists the urge to lean back in, to press more kisses against his face, to see if Carlos actually tastes like chocolate or if that was just more of Ben’s imagination at work.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, considering how close Ben was to giving in to the impulse, Jay appears and manhandles Carlos away. He steers them back into the crush of enthusiastic teenagers riding the high of victory, leaving Ben to stand at the fringes and stare after them. When he turns away, trying to get himself under control, he catches the knowing gaze on Chad’s face.

* * *

_ If asked for which moment Ben fell in love with Carlos, he wouldn’t be able to say. There was no single moment, but a collection of moments, and the gradual learning of who Carlos was as a person. _

_ It might have begun that very first day, a wide-eyed boy with chocolate smeared all over his face and hands. Lost and scared in a strange new world, not hesitating to reach out for comfort when startled. _

_ Or maybe it was the following day, when, instead of giving up in the face of Coach’s discouragement, he stayed. Even if he didn’t have Jay’s natural talent, he still wanted to try, would have extra practices to improve. _

_ It definitely included that first extra practice, if something interrupted in the first five minutes could be considered such. Despite the fear of dogs so ingrained into him, he had made himself vulnerable at Ben’s reassurance. Had reached out a fearful, trembling hand to touch a creature from his nightmares because he trusted Ben. Trusted him enough to share what life was like back on the Isle. _

_ There are many more moments after that, more than Ben could differentiate between and say “There, then, that’s when I fell in love.” Small moments, fleeting moments, smiles and laughs and wide eyes and tentative, shaking hands; more than Ben even remembers. _

_ Here is one such moment: _

_ Many people forget, for all that Ben is a king among princes, he has a fairly humble heritage. Yes, his father was royalty, and his father before him. But his mother? She was not. And her father? He was considered the village lunatic. _

_ People remember his father’s physical metamorphosis; when prompted they can also remember his behavioral change. But more and more often his mother’s willingness to think differently, to be different, has been brushed aside. And his grandfather is hardly ever mentioned at all. So it’s a surprise when someone actually talks to Ben about his grandfather; especially when it’s without the context of being his grandfather. _

_ Ben is waiting out on the tourney field for Carlos, fidgeting with impatience. He’s not annoyed, he’s eager. He always looks forward to their private training, though this is before he realizes why. _

_ Ben is considering leaving–to search for Carlos, because maybe he’s gotten lost, the Lost kids are still fairly new to campus–when he hears Carlos’ voice call out. He’s running out of the locker rooms, practice uniform only partially on and completely askew. Ben can’t help the smile that curls onto his face at the sight. _

_ “I’m here, I’m here,” Carlos yelps, voice muffled through his shirt, still curled up over his head. _

_ “Let me help you with that,” Ben murmurs, reaching over to help tug clothes into their proper places, until Carlos’ flushed face peeks out. _

_ “Thanks,” Carlos says, smiling, and Ben has to say something, anything, or else he’ll end up just staring. _

_ “What happened? You didn’t get lost, did you?” _

_ “No, well, sort of–earlier I did,” he stammers, “I found this shed full of stuff, but then I got caught–I mean, then I met this old man, Moe. He’s an inventor…” _

_ “Moe?” Ben interjects, wondering. _

_ “Well, he said to call him Moe. Anyway, he showed me some of his machines, and I guess I got caught up,” Carlos explains. _

_ “Oh,” and because he couldn’t help himself, Ben asks, “What do you think of Moe?” _

_ He’s preparing himself for something unflattering, like what he usually encounters, so he isn’t surprised when he hears– _

_ “He’s a little weird…” _

_ –but then when Carlos concludes– _

_ “… and absolutely brilliant.” _

_ Carlos has no idea who Moe, Maurice, really is, or who he is to Ben, and so his oblivious admiration is all the more honest. Ben can’t help but be charmed. _

* * *

Whatever expression is on his face is enough to silence Chad until Ben can herd him to somewhere with more privacy. At which point Chad uses up what little good will he had by saying, “Cruella’s kid? Kind of a downgrade.”

Ben’s not a violent person, so he doesn’t lash out, but he does feel rage bubbling up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Because Chad really doesn’t.

“Don’t I? You’re king at sixteen; not even our parents had to rule an entire kingdom at our age. So you want to rebel a little, go for the bad girl. Maleficent’s kid, I get, she’s practically a villain already what with the magic. But Cruella’s kid? Really?” He says, and he’s so wrong, something in Ben just snaps.

“Shut up,” he growls, yet still he has enough self-control not to punch Chad in the face, so he adds, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“No,” Chad agrees, “You don’t have to, but you think anyone else would give you a chance to explain? If anyone else knew–”

“Knew what?” Ben interrupts, provoking, because if he has to be angry, Chad should at least be irritated.

“You think that witch will let you cheat on her without doing something to you?” Chad shouts, the question echoes in the empty locker room, sound distorting as it bounces against metal and tile.

Ben is confused for a beat, for two reasons, “You think Mal doesn’t know?” he asks incredulously, then, “Are you worried about me?” with even more skepticism.

Chad, face flushed in irritated, embarrassed, splotches, only splutters back.

“Mal knows,” Ben says, “Of course she knows, I told her. She’s my girlfriend.”

“That’s a strange definition you’re working with," Chad snarks, which Ben can’t help but snipe back with,

"As opposed to the one you used with Evie?”

“She’s just a–”

“You really don’t want to finish that sentence,” Ben warns. He and Evie may not be the closest, but he does consider her a friend.

“We used to be friends before they came along,” Chad says, which is even more confusing to Ben than the idea of Mal not knowing about his feelings for Carlos.

“No, we weren’t.” Ben says slowly, brow furrowed with disbelief.

“We hung out all the time before,” Chad contradicts.

Which isn’t untrue, but, “If I hadn’t been crown prince, would we have?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Chad says, which very noticeably is not an answer to Ben’s question. But the way he’s unable to meet Ben’s eyes all of a sudden is answer enough.

“Yeah, what could that possibly have to do with anything we’re talking about right now,” Ben says pointedly. “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he repeats.

He thinks that’s that, Chad glaring silently back, but as Ben turns to leave, he hears,

“What about your parents?”

So Ben turns back, his own glare aimed at Chad.

“It’s one thing, for a king to have a rehabilitated witch as some kind of trophy girlfriend,” Chad says, voice soft and smooth like venom, “It’s something else entirely for a king to have a tawdry boy toy.”

There’s something in Ben’s mind that clicks. That turns on and lets him step back and realize that nothing Chad says should make him angry because nothing Chad says actually matters. He is a prince only in name, putting people down in hopes of clawing his way up in the world. And he is nothing to Ben.

A wave of calm washes over Ben, “I would think, so long as I’m happy, my parents would be happy for me. No matter who I love. And if they’re really so concerned over the king’s image, well,” and somehow, it’s easy to say with full confidence,

“I can always abdicate.”


	3. (parts seven through nine)

Later, when Ben reconsiders what he said to Chad, he admits to himself and his empty single dorm room, that his words may have been… hasty. True, but hasty.

He’s not so committed to the crown that he would doom himself to a life without happiness. And it’s not as if there aren’t literally a dozen other princes and princesses who would be more than happy to have the throne. If he did abdicate.

But he was raised as crown prince, to the idea that his privileged lifestyle was only due to his responsibilities to the kingdom. What kind of king could he possibly be if he were willing to abandon his country? He doesn’t even know if Carlos likes him back!

At that, he smashes a pillow to his face to muffle his groan. He kissed Carlos. He just… kissed Carlos. All of his plans to court Carlos properly, or at the very least ask Carlos verbally if he would even consider going out with Ben, just… gone. All because of a preemptive kiss.

There are bound to be repercussions, but he has no idea what they are because Ben hasn’t seen Carlos since that kiss.

He lets out another muffled yell into his pillow, before pulling it away to breathe.

There’s a knock at his door.

He stares at it, uncertain. It was a fairly soft knock, if there even was one, he could just be imagining things. And, anyway, it’s after curfew, who could possibly–

This time the knock is much louder and far more persistent. So much so that Ben nearly falls while scrambling to the other side of the room to open the door just so that it will stop. And he nearly ends up with a fist in his eye for his troubles.

“Carlos!” He says, then winces at his own volume. He sticks his head out to check in either direction if anyone else heard. The hallway lights are dimmed to night time levels, but the moon is full and the windows let in enough of the glow to see clearly. No one. No one except Carlos, that is. “What are you doing here? It’s after curfew.”

“Aren’t you going to let me in?” Carlos asks, small sideways smirk curling his lips.

Suddenly Ben can’t help but wonder what that would feel like against his own mouth. If laughter filled kisses are better than regular ones.

“Ben?” Carlos asks, hesitantly this time, hands beginning to curl into the fabric of his pajamas.

“Yes, yes, of course. Sorry, right. Yes.” Ben blurts, shaking away his own distracted thoughts, and moving out of the way so Carlos can slip into his room. Ben tries to close the door as quietly as he can, but the click of the latch still seems unbearably loud.

They stand and stare at each other for a while, neither of them sure who should make the first move or even what the first move should be. Ben’s heartbeat thuds heavily in his ears, and the sense memory causes his arms to feel unacceptably empty, makes the distance between him and Carlos seem impossibly far.

He steps closer. And closer. And closer still, until they are in arms length from each other. Ben could easily curl a hand around the back of Carlos’ neck, wouldn’t have to lean too far to press foreheads together. But he doesn’t, because Carlos is staring up at him–not afraid, but tense–and they are only in this situation because Ben acted without asking. So he waits.

He’s not disappointed.

Carlos reaches out, and so Ben reaches back.

In the quiet, moonlit night, holding hands is far more intimate than all of Ben’s attempts at seduction. 

* * *

When Carlos pulls, Ben lets himself be led easily, helpless to resist. He guides the both of them to the bed, comfortable and self-assured, as if this were his room and not Ben’s. As if this weren’t the first time Carlos has been in this room.

The moonlight paints everything sensual, but while Ben’s libido wants to interpret this in one particular way, he knows that this is not the case.

Carlos peels back the covers and, with a tug, prompts Ben to go beneath them. With some shuffling, the two of them end up lying on their sides facing each other. Bodies curled towards each other like parentheses, heads resting on the same pillow.

Ben has only ever witnessed this before, and only twice at that; the Lost kids huddling together in one bed whenever one of them felt unwell or needed comforting. The first was after a game with the Highland Bears, one player not reacting well to Jay’s skills, and having more than enough muscle mass to back up their displeasure. Jay had ended up with a dislocated shoulder and a concussion.

He remembers entering the boys’ dorm room and stopping at the sight of all four of them on one bed. Jay’s head in Evie’s lap, her hands gently carding through his hair, Carlos and Dude carefully coiled around his uninjured arm, and Mal laid over top his legs protectively, furiously flipping through the pages of her spell book.

Ben’s entrance had made them freeze, caught off guard and vulnerable. With a silent conversation consisting mostly of eyebrow movements, Mal stood up from the bed to occupy him with a conversation on what level of payback would be seen as rightful revenge versus despicable evil. By the time he looked back, the other three had untangled themselves.

The second time had been after Evie had pulled consecutive all-nighters for her Home Economics project. Needless to say, her series of gowns more than blew the competition out of the water, but the pressure to over-achieve because of her teacher’s prejudice had gotten to her. The eventual and much needed seventeen hour sleep was less of a cuddling session and more of a guard rotation. Ben had actually been included, and had been honored to be so trusted, but while the Lost kids had clambered into bed with her, Ben kept a respectful distance by sitting in a chair.

But those were hardly anything in comparison to now, curled up with Carlos, just the two of them under the covers. This close, Ben can see every individual freckle, every eyelash; he can let himself trace cheekbones with his gaze, the dips and curves of plump lips. A squeeze from Carlos’ hand, still intertwined with his, grabs Ben’s attention.

“You kissed me,” Carlos says, voice low, no need for loudness this close.

Ben nods, cheek rubbing against fabric, the movement no doubt disheveling his bangs.

“Why?” He asks, less rhetorical than expected, considering the obvious answer.

Obvious to Ben, at least. “Because I love you,” he says simply, proximity and moonlight making the confession easy.

“But you love Mal,” Carlos refutes, and though his words are looking for a contradiction, his eyes are searching for reassurance.

“ _And_ I love Mal,” Ben corrects, because its true; he loves Mal and Carlos. Ben loves them both but its different for each of them.

He loves Mal the way an optimist loves life: hopeful and admiring for the future. He wishes for her happiness, would gladly provide whatever that may take, regardless of if that criteria includes him or not. He loves her like an ideal, like a king should love justice. He looks at her and knows that if he can make her happy, then he is doing the right thing.

But with Carlos, Ben’s love is… selfish. He wants to be the one to make Carlos happy, he wants to be the one Carlos desires. He wants to be the one who makes Carlos feel safe and be the one to satisfy him. He adores Carlos, and he wants to cherish Carlos for however long he can.

He wants hours of video games that Carlos always wins, wants the sweat and effort of the tourney field. He wants more nights like these, the matching curves of their bodies underneath blankets. He wants mornings together, sunlight casting a golden glow on their tangled limbs. He wants years, he wants forever.

With Carlos, Ben wants.

He tries to explain this, sentences stumbling off his tongue. Ben feels more like a beast than he ever did, clumsy and awkward, with the horrifying potential to hurt Carlos with one wrong move.

But Carlos understands, or at the very least seems to, because he scoots closer. Their foreheads touch, noses bumping gently, and Carlos huffs a laugh, Ben smiles back, and they breathe each other’s air. Emboldened, Ben reaches out his free hand to lay it against Carlos’ cheek. His thumb traces along a line he has only ever looked at before, reveling in the touch of skin, in the knowledge of freckles hidden beneath his fingers.

“I don’t have anything,” Carlos says, which is confusing, until he continues, “I don’t have magic like Mal, and I’m not royalty like Evie, and I don’t–”

“Carlos,” Ben interrupts, squeezing their joined hands, “I don’t want you to be Mal or Evie or Jay, I want you to be you. Because I love you,” He repeats, which is enough to get rid of those worries, at least for now.

Then, because they are so close, Ben has to ask, “Carlos, can I ki–”

This time, Carlos interrupts him, taking initiative to press their lips together. Their noses bump again, and this time Ben is the one to laugh, but he smooths an apology with his thumb, to assure that he wasn’t mocking. Carlos flicks his tongue out in response, faux-petulant, but it’s also testing, teasing. He follows it with a gentle scrape of teeth, and Ben can’t help the small gasp that escapes, absolutely thrilled.

So Ben throws himself completely into it; now that he has permission, he’s going to kiss for all he’s worth. He surges forward, what little space remaining between them disappearing, their entwined hands trapped between their bodies. He catches Carlos’ bottom lip between his own, finally getting to taste, and even though it’s not chocolate, it’s still delicious. He bites down, before soothing the pain away with his tongue; he knows that’s something Carlos enjoys because now his eyes are half-lidded with pleasure, and he’s clutching at Ben’s shirt like he can drag the larger boy even closer.

They continue to kiss, the sound of whimpers and sighs harmonizing with the wet slick slide of lips and tongue and teeth, until the lack of oxygen forces their mouths apart. Panting, breathless, they share air and space. Ben’s hand, having moved to Carlos’ neck, can feel the rhythm of his pulse matching Ben’s own pounding heartbeat.

“Yes,” Carlos says, more air than noise, sly grin somewhat less effective with shiny, reddened lips, “you can kiss me.”

* * *

Ben wakes up in the morning with an unusually warm head. Probably because, sometime in the night, after they had both drifted off to sleep, Carlos had moved around until his back was pressed against the headboard, torso arched around Ben’s head like a very large, living, breathing hat. And, somehow more impressive, they had kept their hands clasped together.

Ben wants to wake up to this every morning.

Well, maybe not exactly like this considering now Ben’s arm is numb, having been wrenched at an awkward angle across his body. Carefully, he extricates himself, gritting his teeth against the sensation of pins and needles as blood rushes back to his arm. Still, he is happy.

A knock on the door startles him into action, but even as he goes to stand by the door, he waits.

The second knock is more of a bang and, fortunately, is accompanied by the sound of Jay’s voice, “You better both be dressed in there.”

Hastily, Ben reaches for the doorknob, opening the door to Jay’s unimpressed face. Ben’s not too insulted, though, considering his still sleep mussed clothes, flyaway hair, and possible pillow creases on his face. Jay, in contrast, looks to be prepared for the day already; more than, as Ben spots Carlos’ bag hanging off one shoulder next to Jay’s.

“He’s, uh, still asleep,” Ben says rather inanely, gesturing at the figure on the bed unnecessarily.

“Of course he is,” Jay sighs, before stalking towards Carlos, grabbing his ankles and yanking him up and off the bed. Ben twitches forward, in a futile attempt to stop Carlos’ collision with the floor. Thankfully, due to height difference and Jay’s sheer upper body strength, Carlos dangles upside down, outstretched hands barely brushing the carpet.

Amused, Ben is grateful that he closed the door before anyone else could witness this.

“No,” Carlos moans, uncooperative but also unsurprised, clearly used to such treatment. And awake, which is all that Jay needs to deem himself successful.

“I brought your stuff. And clothes,” which he throws beside Carlos’ body, after throwing Carlos himself back on top of the bed.

“It’s too early,” Carlos complains, though he sits up and paws through Jay’s offerings.

“I was going for my morning… jog,” Jay hesitates, eyes shifting from Carlos to Ben then back.

Obviously not actually jogging, but Ben doubts it’s anything too bad.

“Can’t have you walk of shaming back to the dorm room,” he explains, and this time Jay’s glance towards Ben is more of a glare.

Ben flushes, part embarrassment and part indignation because nothing shameful happened. But before he can defend himself, them both, Carlos squawks out, “I can’t wear these!” waving black, red, and white fabric around.

“They’re your clothes,” Jay argues.

“They’ll clash!” Carlos argues back.

“They’re your clothes,” Jay repeats, confused and irritated at this conversation.

Ben, whose wardrobe consists of blue suits of varying formality and school paraphernalia, has no idea what is happening either.

“Different patterns!” Carlos says, then his volume drops into a grumble, “You couldn’t have checked with Evie first?”

“I’m not going to go to the girls dorm this early. You should be grateful I’m bringing your stuff at all.”

Carlos, rather than showing any gratitude, sticks his tongue out. Then he falls backwards, flinching away from Jay’s feint. “Ugh, fine, thanks,” he says disgruntled.

And that seems to settle the matter, at least until Carlos reaches for the hem of his sleep shirt to change clothes, and Jay cuffs him on the back of the head.

“What now?” Carlos grouses, rubbing at his head in exaggerated pain.

“Bathroom,” Jay says with a jerk of his head towards Ben’s en suite.

“Seriously? We change in the locker rooms after tourney practices. For all you know, last night we–”

“I don’t want to know,” Jay interrupts before simply manhandling Carlos and his clothes into the conjoined bathroom and shutting the door.

Carlos must decide to give in rather than waste time trying to fight back against superior strength, because there are only two frustrated bangs against the door before the muffled sounds of rustling cloth.

“And you,” Jay says, this time towards Ben who, to be honest, was rather enjoying being a spectator during this whole interaction, “I still don’t want to know. But take it slow.” The ‘or else’ is silent, but no less potent.

Ben nods, a solemn, wordless promise.

Satisfied, Jay leaves for his… 'jogging’.

Then, having to live up to his promise, Ben changes clothes as quickly as possible. His seams are somewhat askew, but he finishes just as Carlos leaves the bathroom. They smile at each other, a little sheepish, before Ben breaks the silence with, “Good morning.”

Starting the day with Carlos’ laughter is something else he looks forward to in the future.


	4. (parts ten through twelve)

They go to the dining hall for breakfast, early enough that it’s not too busy, but still after the girls.

The first thing Evie says when she sees them is, “You’re clashing with yourself.”

“I know, right?” Carlos exclaims back, “It’s Jay’s fault.”

Mal, as equally fashion-blind as Ben, shrugs a greeting.

“I suppose in that case you should be grateful your shirt still has sleeves,” Evie jokes.

“I don’t think I have the biceps to pull that off,” Carlos says doubtfully, pulling up his sleeve and flexing. While he has been improving in tourney, it’s fair to say that it’s more due to strategic thinking than muscles.

The two of them continue to dominate the conversation, dragging Jay into an unwilling fashion lesson when he eventually joins their table. But that doesn’t prevent Ben and Mal from communicating with each other.

From across the table she stares at Ben, her eyes catching pointedly at Ben’s mussed hair and rumpled clothing, before her gaze slides sideways to Carlos. Carlos wearing an apparently clashing outfit, having arrived with Ben and not Jay like usual, and his own disheveled appearance. Her raised eyebrow is eloquent enough without words; Ben blushes.

The rest of breakfast continues much the same until the bell rings, an advance notice for classes starting. None of the Lost kids have their first class together, but Ben does share his with Mal.

For all that this thing with Carlos is still new, it doesn’t feel odd to lean over and press a kiss to Carlos’ cheek as they disperse. The Lost kids certainly don’t react to it beyond somewhat distracted smiles.

But the other students stare as he and Mal walk by, Ben’s arm draped over her shoulder casually. He’s been the object of other people’s scrutiny since birth, so the attention paid to him over the course of the day doesn’t unnerve him. But he’s aware of the rumors buzzing around, even if he never hears them, and the constant pseudo-itching sensation between his shoulder blades tell him about the eyes following his every move.

Ben’s more concerned about Carlos and Mal. He can only imagine the terrible things being said to them, about them as a result of his actions. He spends most of his classes fidgeting, inattentive to the lessons. During every passing period he checks up on both of them, even goes out of his way to do so; neither of them report any out of the usual harassment, and while they both look bemused they also indulge his tactile reassurance.

Caught up in his own worries, Ben failed to catch what the rest of the school actual thought.

“Most people think it’s cute,” Evie says during lunch, assuaging most of Ben’s nerves, “Lonnie and I share Home Ec,” she answers Ben’s unasked question about her knowledge, this time at least.

“Most people?” Ben repeats grimly, remembering Chad’s toxic opinion.

“Others are… confused,” she explains diplomatically, mouth twisted into a grimace, giving Ben a better idea of what those others really think. “That’s more because of us, though, than the situation. Although that does apparently actually confuse some people.”

If he weren’t the one living it, Ben would probably admit that such a nontraditional arrangement might baffle him, too. Having a platonic girlfriend and a romantic boyfriend simultaneously? The latter alone is unorthodox.

The Lost kids don’t seem to have any qualms about the situation, and he wonders if this is just another matter than can be chalked down to differing cultures. Evie, having been taught the idea of monogamy by her mother at least as an intellectual practice, is the best to translate for both sides.

“Gang activity instead of dating?” Ben tries to understand, seeking confirmation from Mal.

“If we were still on the Isle, you’d be part of our gang.” Mal says, patting his arm fondly, “Definitely something to be proud of,” she tacks on.

“Yeah, we’re the worst of the Isle,” Jay adds with a smirk.

“Which means that we’re the best,” Carlos clarifies, a little nonsensical but perfectly understandable to Ben.

“We don’t really use the term boyfriends and girlfriends, so the definitions seem constrained,” Evie continues to explain, “And dating is pretty vague. Technically, you might be dating all of us.”

Ben sputters, flushing a bright red, while the others laugh.

“You’re not, we know,” Mal says before he can stumble through a denial.

“So on the Isle, this, what we have, makes sense?” Ben asks.

“It’s this place that’s the problem,” Evie agrees, though she tempers it with, “But it’s something that can change, I think. And who better a trendsetter than the king?”

* * *

It’s not until after classes have ended, until tourney practice, that Ben chooses to face the consequences. Mostly because there is no other option. He’s nervous, and if his grip on Carlos’ hand during the walk there is a little too tight, well, Carlos understands. It’s one thing to have the Lost kids accept him as one of their gang, one thing to have Evie reassure him that most people are actually fine with his relationship, but he’s king. He will one day rule Auradon, he can’t be afraid to hear what his people have to say.

More than that, though, he’s just Ben. He’s a teenage boy in love; he needs to stand up for himself.

Jay enters the locker room before them, always willing to put himself in between his friends and danger, but there are some things that even the strongest intent to protect cannot shield, and this is one of them.

One last deliberate hand squeeze causes Carlos to turn to face him. Ben’s not sure what expression he has, but whatever it is makes Carlos dart in quickly and press a comforting kiss to Ben’s cheek.

With encouragement like that, how could Ben not be brave?

He walks into a conspicuously quiet and tense locker room, and while the other boys don’t overtly look at him, they are as aware of him as he is of them. Carlos, sidling in after him, automatically heads toward Jay. It’s one less thing to worry about, not that Ben expects this to turn into a fight. At least, not a physical one.

He’s braced for an insult, maybe a snide passive-aggressive comment, especially from Chad whose aura of disgust and belligerence could not be thicker unless it were a literal cloud around him. Instead he gets tentative, awkward circling around the point.

“So… yesterday. That was an impressive goal, Carlos,” leads Amir, who sort of nods in Carlos’ direction but also sort of doesn’t due to Jay standing protectively in front of him. While most of the tourney team had been rather laid-back to the Lost kids, Amir included, he’s always been kind of… twitchy with Jay in particular. Unsurprising, considering his parent’s history.

Nondescript agreements ring around, a pathetic echo of yesterday’s cheering.

To Ben’s side, Esteban asks, “Are you and Mal… doing okay?”

“Yes, we’re great,” Ben says, tersely.

“Look, okay, some of us saw that kiss yesterday and the whole school knows about the two of you,” Tyrone, who probably inherited his gumption from his mother, cuts to the chase, “Someone obviously blabbed,” he continues, a pointed glare at Chad’s back, “Not that you were being particularly subtle this morning.”

“Or for the past two months,” Liam, Tyrone’s childhood best friend, interjects mischievously.

“But if it was just adrenaline or… whatever,” Tyrone falters, a little, “We understand.”

It’s an offer to write it off, Ben realizes, they’re waiting for his lead.

“No. Not adrenaline,” Ben says lowly, before catching Carlos’ gaze. Ben can do this, “I love Carlos. Mal is still my girlfriend, but now Carlos and I are dating, too.”

There’s an immediate swell of noise, but surprisingly, most of it is enthusiastic. Some of the boys, like Chad, have grim, repulsed expressions, but for the most part the rest of the team seems… relieved.

“Finally! I thought we’d have to watch this thing for another two months,” Ben hears Amir say to Manny.

“Well, at least we didn’t have to do a song and dance number this time,” Manny shoots back.

“Okay,” Tyrone says simply with a companionable slap to Ben’s shoulder. Matter concluded, the locker room returns to normal.

Ben can’t help but feel lighter now; not because he’s told other people he loves Carlos–it was never something he wanted to keep a secret. But whether due to kingship or honorary Lost kid status, he had been steadily dissociating from the rest of Auradon’s students and only just realized how much that had been weighing on his mind.

Now he knows though: his fellow Knights, most of them at least, will stand by him. He may not be as close to them, but they accept him. They’re still his team, his friends. He’s happy.

* * *

Carlos joins him in bed again that night, and for many more nights after that. Not all the time, and not always heady make out sessions. Sometimes they do actually just sleep next to each other, and sometimes they talk instead, whispering secrets to each other beneath the covers.

One night, Ben admits that he doesn’t feel ready to be king. He’s only sixteen, he’s not even finished with school yet, how could he possibly rule an entire kingdom? But he doesn’t say this for reassurance, he just wants a safe place to voice his fears without judgement.

Carlos spends the rest of the night doing his best to hold Ben, both sets of limbs wrapped around Ben’s torso.  He still moves around in his sleep, so the next morning Ben finds himself half way off the bed, but it’s the thought that counts. It was a very well-meaning aggressive snuggling, so Ben’s not even the tiniest bit angry.

On a different night, it’s Carlos who confesses: Before coming to Auradon, he had taken the barrier down around the Isle. But he panicked, hadn’t known what to do, and so the breach had only been temporary. The truth of the matter was that he had been scared of what might be beyond the Isle, had been raised on tales of vicious creatures and human beasts.

But he’s glad that Ben reached out, had given them the opportunity to leave the Isle. Carlos loves his life now. He likes that he and the other Lost kids are finally thriving, not just clawing out their continued survival. Instead of being something to fear, Dude is a stalwart companion Carlos wouldn’t give up for anything. And Ben… makes him happy. He’s happy because of Ben, and he’s happy to be with Ben.

Carlos still can’t quite say he’s in love with Ben, but it’s early days yet. They are happy together and that is enough.

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re going to be late!” Evie exclaims, fussing over her dress before holding a napkin out, just as the limo makes a turn. The soda sloshing out of Jay’s cup lands on it exactly.

“You made the both of them change like five times each,” Mal reminds her. Unlike the other passengers, she is completely calm; partly because she’s already been to one such family dinner before, unlike the other three Lost kids, but also because she’s not the one who’s going to inform Ben’s parents about his nontraditional take on relationships.

Although, to be fair, Jay’s energy has less to do with nerves and more to do with the amount of sugary limo snacks he’s been consuming. Maybe spoiling one’s dinner isn’t something that’s warned against on the Isle.

“That’s because he kept trying to wear shirts without sleeves,” Evie says, one thumb jerked at Jay beside her, “And this one apparently doesn’t own actual full-length trousers,” she continues, nudging Carlos playfully with her shoulder. That sets off a miniature domino reaction as Carlos then bumps into Ben, who then sways into Mal.

Carlos, normally exempt from Evie’s fashion scoldings, can only shrug sheepishly in response.

Evie sighs, as if greatly inconvenienced, when everyone knows she had been the one most enjoying the impromptu fashion show earlier, “I can’t believe we’re going to be late for dinner with a queen and king,” she repeats.

“I’m a king and you have dinner with me all the time,” Ben says, just to be cheeky.

Evie looks at him, flatly unimpressed, before breaking her composure and smiling.

“I can’t believe Carlos brought Dude,” Jay says, not because he actually can’t believe Carlos would bring Dude along, but more to make a point.

“Ben said it was a family dinner, if you’re coming then Dude gets to come, too,” Carlos responds. In his lap and being treated to a two-handed head scratch is Dude, decked out in a matching outfit to his chosen human.

“This is going to be hilarious,” Mal says in general, then taps on the chauffeur’s shoulder and asks him, “What do you think, Chip?”

“It’ll be more interesting than the last one, that’s for sure,” he says without turning around. Before he can explain, the limo approaches the drive, “Clean it up, ladies and gentlemen,” Chip advises, before stopping the car and exiting, coming around to hold the door open for them. The five of them, plus Dude, manage to exit the limo on their feet, at least, if not gracefully. Chip snickers before he leaves, muttering about the kitchens being the best vantage point and helping his mother.

Rather than waiting inside, Ben’s family have come to the front door to greet them, pushing introductions sooner than Ben expected.

“Everyone,” he says, addressing the Lost kids, “this is my mother, Belle, my father, Adam, and my grandfather, Maurice.”

Beside him Carlos hisses a breath and tries to subtly elbow him in the ribs. He’s not very successful on the subtle part, but fortunately for him, that’s not the biggest reveal of the night.

“You know Mal, my girlfriend,” Ben says, this time to his family, “This is Evie, Jay, and Carlos. My boyfriend.”

His parents, somehow still not used to how unorthodox their son is, stare in silent shock. Grandfather, on the other hand, laughs uproariously, mustache quivering like mad.

“Considering the lack of imprisonment, this is still better than how I found out about your parents,” he assures before turning to Carlos, “Don’t think we won’t continue our discussion on pneumatic cylinders from earlier today, my boy, but first let me see this dog of yours.”

Obediently, Carlos holds out Dude.

“Looks a bit like my old footstool,” Grandfather says, a little nonsensically, but completely understandable, “Come along then, kids, dinner’s waiting, and I know Lumière has prepared a bit of a performance. He makes new ones every time, you see,” the Lost kids, taking the hint, follow after him, leaving Ben and his parents alone. In the silence.

“Mom? Dad?” Ben prompts, worried but unafraid.

His mom shakes off her stupor, before smiling softly at him, a hand reaching out to cup his cheek, “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you really are my son.”

“Actually, I think in this case I’m more like Dad,” Ben says, which finally seems to get through to him.

His Dad asks, “How so?”

The answer is easy, “I’m lucky to have found love.”


	5. (fanmix)

Only Fools Rush In (a BenxCarlos story)

  1. _All The Weird Kids Know_ by Built By Snow
  2. _L-O-V-E_ by Louis Amanti
  3. _Such Great Heights_ by The Postal Service
  4. _Kiss Me_ by Ed Sheeran
  5. _All Of Me_ by John Legend
  6. _I Would Do Anything For You_ by Foster the People
  7. _Fly Me To The Moon_ by Westlife
  8. _What Is Love_ by Jaymes Young
  9. _At Last_ by Daphne Loves Derby
  10. _You Make My Dreams_ by Hall  & Oates
  11. _Baby, It’s Fact_ by Hellogoodbye
  12. _A Thousand Years_ by Boyce Avenue
  13. _Can’t Help Falling In Love_ by Michael Schulte



download it [here](https://www.mediafire.com/folder/7fkt93ccdeuf4/Only_Fools_Rush_In_\(a_BenxCarlos_story\))! (only the zip file is necessary for the entire mix)


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